Pain medication is often the only thing that provides relief for people with hip pain. But to avoid addiction, it's important to realize that pain medication is temporary.

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When hip pain keeps you from exercising, doing chores around the house, and even working, pain medication may be the only thing that offers you any relief. And while pain medication can be a very valuable tool in alleviating hip pain, it should be carefully used, and never abused.

Oxycodone, alone (Oxycontin) or combined with acetaminophen (Percocet, among others)

Hydrocodone (usually combined with acetaminophen and sold as Lortab, Vicodin, and others)

Meperidine (Demerol)

Fentanyl (Duragesic)

Narcotic pain medication should never be taken after hip pain has gone away, or addiction can become a problem. And pain medication should never be the sole therapy for treating hip pain — it's only a small part of a bigger treatment program.

Pain Medication: Your Risk of Addiction

If you truly suffer from hip pain, the risk of addiction from narcotics is quite low. "People who have pain typically don’t get addicted to [narcotic] pain medication because they don't feel that 'high,'" says Rochelle Rosian, MD, a rheumatologist with the Cleveland Clinic in Solon, Ohio. "They're taking them to help relieve pain, so very rarely do they get the kick of a narcotic."

Rather than addiction, people taking narcotic pain medication to relieve hip pain may face a different concern: becoming tolerant of the medication, with reduced effectiveness. And the longer you take a pain medication, "you may need to have an escalating dose to receive the same amount of pain relief," says Dr. Rosian.

Pain Medication: Reducing Your Risk of Addiction

Feeding yourself a pain medication every few hours whether you need it or not isn't the best way to manage your hip pain — that may actually put you at risk for developing an addiction. You should alternate narcotic drugs with drugs that aren't as strong.

"Most people use narcotics in combination with other medications like acetaminophen or anti-inflammatory drugs," says Rosian. These different pain relievers can be a combined pill, like hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin), or a combination of a non-narcotic drug and a narcotic drug taken at recommended intervals.

Controlling how much of a narcotic pain medication you take is very important in reducing your risk of addiction, even if you do suffer from hip pain. "You don't want to take more than you need," says Rosian. "Pain medicines are an adjunct to other medical therapy, which is keeping your weight down, keeping your flexibility, and keeping your muscles strong."

Pain Medication: Warning Signs of Addiction

Any time you take a strong, addictive drug like a narcotic, addiction is a possibility, especially if you don't take the pills the way your doctor prescribed.

Here are some warning signs of a possible addiction to narcotic pain medication:

Constantly wanting or needing to take a pain pill

Finding yourself unable to cut back or not take the pain medication

Taking much more of the medication than you used to

Moodiness or changes in mood

Taking pain medication even if you suffer from side effects

Weight changes

Going to great lengths to get enough pain medication, even seeing multiple doctors to get multiple prescriptions

Finding yourself unable to do daily activities or function because of the medication

Sleeping too much

Noticing symptoms of withdrawal when not taking the pain medication, such as feeling sick, vomiting, sweating, or feeling anxious

If you take your pain medication the right way — to truly relieve hip pain when you feel it and as your doctor recommends — your risk of addiction is very low. Always remember to take only what you need to control your pain, and no more. Pain medication is a temporary, occasional solution to hip pain — physical therapy, exercise, and weight management are the true keys to managing your condition.

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